Tag Archive for: Acts

You are here: / / Acts

Posts

2026, January 11 ~ Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17

/in /by

TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JANUARY 11, 2026
THE BAPTISM OF JESUS OF NAZARETH

Isaiah 42:1-9

Reading

1 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
5 Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

Commentary

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE. The name “Isaiah” means “YHWH has saved” or “May YHWH save.”

Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.

The Jewish Study Bible points out that one of major religious issues faced by First Isaiah was whether Judea should attempt to confront its enemies by using military and diplomatic means and or if it should rely on YHWH to protect them. Isaiah (unlike most of his contemporaries) preferred the latter option.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that three themes dominate the book of Isaiah as it now exists: (1) that YHWH is the moving force behind all historical events; (2) the centrality of Jerusalem for Israel, both for kingship and for worship; and (3) the image of a new ruler who will usher in a new age of justice, righteousness and peace (which developed into the concept of “messiah” in early Jewish and early Christian writings).

Today’s reading is from “Second Isaiah” and verses 1 through 4 are the first part of the so-called “Servant Songs” found in Chapters 42, 48, 50 and 52-53. The JSB notes that the identity of the “servant” is “hotly debated.” Some of the understandings of the servant are: (a) the prophet Isaiah or (b) Cyrus II (the Great) who defeated the Babylonians in 539 BCE and ended the Babylonian Exile (and who is called the “LORD’s anointed” in Is. 45:1) or (c) the Messiah, or (d) an idealized Israel. The NOAB states that most scholars conclude – based on the overall sense of the texts – that an ideal Israel (or the faithful within Israel) is the “servant” in in this reading and in the Four Servant Songs.

The JSB observes that the text looks forward to the ideal world of the future in which justice will reign and the covenant between Israel and God will be observed perfectly. Even nations far away and apostate Israelites (the “coastlands” v.4) will know God because of God’s treatment of Israel. The NOAB states that verses 5-9 are a call for Israel to a “mission to alleviate ignorance and suffering among the peoples of the world.” The JSB notes that because of the covenant (v.6), and in spite of their sins and the Exile, the people of Israel can be assured of their restoration and will be the means by which God becomes known to all nations as mighty, just and reliable.

Because he relied on a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (the LXX), the author of the Gospel According to Matthew (12:18-21) paraphrased verses 1 to 4 as part of the “prediction-fulfillment” approach he used to describe Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah.

The author of the Gospel According to Mark adopted many of the motifs of Psalm 22 and of the Suffering Servant Songs (particularly the 4th Servant Song in Chapters 52 and 53 of Isaiah) to describe the sufferings of Jesus of Nazareth in the Crucifixion.

Acts 10:34-43

Reading

34 Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ — he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Commentary

The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.

Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with the information in Paul’s letters.

The Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this.

As background to today’s reading in Chapter 10, Peter fell into a trance (v.10) and saw a sheet filled with foods regarded by Jews as profane or unclean. A voice admonished him that what God made clean shall not be called profane (v. 15). Soon after, Peter converted a Gentile, Cornelius the Centurion, at the behest of the Spirit (v.19). Peter then gave a speech (today’s reading) that was a synopsis of the major themes in the Gospel According to Luke (vv. 36-43). One of those themes is the idea that being part of God’s people (v.34-35) does not depend on ethnic distinctions but rather by a religious one – fearing God and doing what is right. The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that in stating that God shows no partiality (v.34) the author is saying that “God’s attribute as an impartial judge (Deut 10.17-18; Sir 35.12-13) now applies to God’s dealings with Jews and Gentiles (Rom 2.11).”

Although it is not clear whether the “they” in verse 39b refers to the Romans or (as The JANT suggests) the Jews/Jewish leaders.

In today’s reading, the author presented Peter’s speech as saying it was God who allowed the Resurrected Christ to appear (v.40), but not to all people, but only to those chosen by God as witnesses (v.41). Consistent with Luke’s Gospel in which the Resurrected Christ ate a piece of fish (Luke 24:42), Peter asserted that the Risen Christ ate and drank with the chosen witnesses (v.41). In many ways, Peter’s speech also summarizes the major themes in Acts.

In the verses that follow today’s reading, the Holy Spirit “fell” (v.44) upon all who heard Peter’s speech. The “circumcised believers” (v. 45) were Jewish Jesus Followers, and they were astounded that the Holy Spirit had been “poured out” upon Gentiles (v. 45). Peter baptized these Gentile Jesus Followers.

These events — the sheet of “unclean foods,” the conversion of Cornelius, the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch in Chapter 8, and the baptism of the Gentiles upon whom the Holy Spirit was poured – were presented in Acts as critical “precedents” to the spread of the Jesus Follower Movement to Gentiles.

They were also presented as important predicates for the decision at the “Council of Jerusalem” attended by “the apostles and elders” (Ac.15.4) at which Paul and Peter testified about the Spirit’s coming upon Gentiles and argued in favor of baptizing Gentiles.

James, the brother of Jesus and head of the Jesus Follower Community in Jerusalem, decided (reluctantly) that Gentiles could become Jesus Followers and did not have to be circumcised or keep all the Kosher rules (Ac. 15:19-20).

Following the account of the Council, Acts of the Apostles turned its focus to Paul’s missions to the Gentiles.

Matthew 3:13-17

Reading

13 Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

Commentary

The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’s genealogy with Abraham and depicted Jesus as a teacher of the Law like Moses. More than any other Gospel, Matthew quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures (using the Greek Septuagint translation) to illustrate that Jesus was the Messiah.

Having been written well after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the Gospel reflected the controversies between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees for control of Judaism going forward. Accordingly, the Gospel contains many harsh sayings about the Pharisees. The Gospel is aimed primarily at the late First Century Jewish Jesus Follower community.

The Gospel relied heavily on the Gospel of Mark and included all but 60 verses from Mark. Like Luke, Matthew also used a “Sayings Source” (called “Q” by scholars). There are also a substantial number of stories that are unique to Matthew: the Annunciation of Jesus’ conception was revealed to Joseph in a dream (rather than to Mary by an angel as in Luke); the Visit of the Magi; the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod; the Flight to Egypt; the Laborers in the Vineyard; and the earthquake on Easter Morning, among others.

Today’s reading is Matthew’s version of the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes: “Mark has a straightforward account (1:9-11), theologically naïve and unembarrassed. But after he had written it down, the story simply became an embarrassment to the early church, because it was thought unsuitable that the sinless Jesus should be baptized for his sins. Matthew therefore omits the reference in Mark 1:4 to the forgiveness of sins and adds vv 14 and 15.”

In addition, because a person performing a baptism is often seen as “superior” to the baptized person, Jesus’ baptism by John also created a “need” to show John’s subordination to Jesus. All four gospels contain language about John’s unworthiness to untie Jesus’ sandals (Matthew said “carry” which The NJBC suggests may reflect a later rabbinic refinement). In today’s reading, Matthew added a colloquy in which John recognized Jesus’ superiority by saying to Jesus that he ought to be baptized by Jesus, but Jesus told him to proceed with the baptism to “fulfill all righteousness” (3:14-15). The JANT notes that fulfilling all righteousness is a “messianic accomplishment (Jer 23.5-6, 33.15-16).”

The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes: “The assertion of Jesus’ superiority may reflect an early dispute between followers of the Baptist and Jesus (see 11.2-11 [an account of John’s sending disciples to Jesus to ask if he was “the one who is to come”]; cf. Acts 19.1-5 [in which Paul re-baptized Ephesians who had received “the baptism of John” and who had not heard of the Holy Spirit]).”

In A Season for the Spirit, Martin Smith suggests that Jesus’ Baptism was a statement of Jesus’ essential humanity and his relationship with us. Although Smith surmises that Jesus was aware of his sinless state, Jesus did not stand apart from sinners but submitted to baptism as one of us.

The Jewish Annotated New Testament observes that “righteousness” (v.15) is frequently used in Matthew to mean “obedience to the divine will” as in Jesus’ acquiescence to baptism by John, and Joseph’s desire not to harm Mary but to divorce her quietly (1:19).

The NJBC points out that in Matthew’s account, the sight of the Spirit of God (a dove) descending on Jesus was private to him (“the heavens were opened to him and he saw” v.16), and it is not clear if only Jesus heard the voice from heaven. The NJBC notes that “my Son, the Beloved” (v.17) has echoes of Isaiah 42:1 in that the word for “servant” in Hebrew (ebed) was translated in the LXX as pais which also has the meaning of “son” or “child.” The NOAB notes that the phrase also echoes the description of Isaac (Gen. 22:2) as “the son whom you love” in the Binding (or Near Sacrifice) of Isaac.

2025, June 8 ~ Acts 2:1-21; Genesis 11:1-9; John 14:8-17, 25-27

/in /by

TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JUNE 8, 2025
PENTECOST

Acts 2:1-21

Reading

1 When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs– in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17`In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ ”

Commentary

The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.

Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with Paul’s letters.

The Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this.

Today’s reading was set in the early days of the Jesus Follower Movement in Jerusalem. The Jesus Follower Movement remained a sect within Judaism even after the Destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 CE.

Today’s reading is an account of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles on Pentecost. It is presented as a fulfillment of the promise made by the Resurrected Christ in Acts 1:5, just before the Ascension.

Pentecost (or the Feast of Weeks) was a well-established Jewish Festival occurring 50 days after Passover (Lev. 23:15-21 and Deut. 16:9). The Feast of Weeks celebrated the spring barley harvest and also remembered the giving of the land (Deut. 26:1). In the Second Century CE, the Feast was changed by the rabbis to a celebration of the giving of the Law at Sinai. The Apostles and disciples (as devout Jews) would have come together for the Feast of Weeks, along with Jews from many nations (v.5).

The account uses two of the customary images for the Holy Spirit – wind and fire (vv. 2 and 3). The Jewish Annotated Testament notes that the image of “tongues of fire” is derived from Is. 5:24. The image of God acting by wind is based on Gen. 1:2, and the theophany of God as fire is found in the story of the Burning Bush (Ex. 3), as a pillar of fire (Ex.14:24), and in Is. 66:15-20.

According to The JANT, in the Talmud rabbis sometimes treated Galileans (v.7) as inarticulate regarding the Torah.

The ability of listeners to hear the Apostles in their native languages (v.8) directly reversed of the impact of the Tower of Babel Story (Gen. 11) in which YHWH confused the languages of humans so they could not understand one another. The list of the nations (vv. 9-11) foreshadowed the spread of the Jesus Follower Movement, and the listing is generally from east to west, but (somewhat surprisingly) did not include some of the areas that were discussed in Acts such as Syria, Macedonia, Cilicia, and Achaia. The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that “proselytes” (v.10) were full converts to Judaism.

Peter was presented as the spokesperson for the Apostles (v.14) and stated that the coming of the Spirit was the fulfillment of the prophet Joel’s description of the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:28-32). The literary technique of having a person give a speech appropriate to the circumstances was characteristic of Hellenistic accounts at the time.

The JANT notes that the mention of slaves (v.18) “indicates the inclusion of all orders of society.”

The next verses after today’s reading are: “You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know – this man handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law.” The NOAB notes: “Luke does not think of the incarnation of a divine being” and The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes: “Absent is any suggestion of the expiating or sacrificial significance of Jesus’ death, and many [scholars] generalize this as a hallmark of Lucan soteriology.”

Genesis 11: 1-9

Reading

1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” 5 The LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. 6 And the LORD said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Commentary

Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (“five books”) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.

The Book of Genesis (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated by scholars to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah, and these sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.

The Book of Genesis comes mostly from two of these sources, one called “J” (for Yahwistic) and the other called “P” (for Priestly). The two sources present God very differently. In “J” materials, God is presented anthropomorphically (God speaks directly with Adam and Eve, walks in the Garden, smells burnt offerings, and has human-like feelings, as in today’s reading). The name used for God in the “J” materials is YHWH, and this is translated in the NRSV as “LORD” in all capital letters.

The first eleven chapters of Genesis are called the “Primeval History” and presented ancient sacred myth-stories that “explain” the origin of realities such as the presence of suffering in the world and the multiplicity of languages described in today’s Tower of Babel Story. Moreover, the story preserved a perceived divine-human boundary, a boundary set in Gen. 3:22-23 when YHWH drove the humans out of the Garden.

The story is curiously placed. In Chapter 10, post-flood humanity was already divided into nations each with its own language (Gen. 10:31-32). Nonetheless, this story attributes the multiplicity of languages to YHWH’s confusing (or confounding) their language. The story is set in Shinar (v.2) which The NOAB says was Babylonia. The Jewish Study Bible says this an account of “Promethean hubris on the part of humankind still unwilling to accept subordination to their Creator.” The JSB says the story shows how Babylon got its name, and that making a tower “with its top in the heavens” (v.4) can be compared to the prideful boast of the king of Babylon in Is.14:13-14. The NOAB points out, however, that the humans were depicted as being fearful of being scattered (v.4).

As an anthropomorphic God, YHWH needed to come down from heaven to see the tower and the city (v.5). The NJBC says that verse 6 represents “a vestige of the ancient Near Eastern literary motif of divine jealousy of humans” and that “the confusion of their speech is a punishment for pride; it is also a guarding against any future massed assaults on divine sovereignty.”

As in Gen. 1:26, YHWH acted as a heavenly court or divine council (“let us go down”) to confuse the humans’ language (v.7). The translators’ notes point out that the word “confused” (v.9) is balal in Hebrew.

YHWH showed human qualities when YHWH was concerned that the people would “make a name for themselves” (v.4). In the next chapter, God promised to “make his [Abram’s] name great” (Gen. 12:2), reinforcing the view that God controls all that happens. The JSB says: “Human disunity and exile are not God’s final wish.”

John 14:8-17, 25-27

Reading

8 Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”

25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

Commentary

The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.

The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder that was to be held the night he died.

Most scholars agree that the Gospel was written around 95 CE, at a time when the “parting of the ways” between the Jesus Follower Movement and Rabbinic Judaism was accelerating.

Today’s reading is part of the “Farewell Discourse and Prayer of Jesus” that begins at 13:31 and continues to 17:26. There are numerous themes in the Discourse, and a substantial amount of repetition. Scholars suggest that some of the themes in the Discourse reflect the situation when the Gospel itself was written in the late First Century. Most agree that the Prayer in Chapter 17 constituted a separate unit.

Generally, the lengthy Discourse is divided into four units: (a) announcement of the hour and farewell; (b) exhortation to the disciples about the community in the face of external hostility; (c) consolation for the sorrowing disciples; and (d) Jesus’ prayer for the disciples.

Today’s reading is part of the exhortation and follows Jesus’ statement “I am the Way, the Light and the Truth” (v.6) and the affirmation that Jesus is the true revelation of the Father (v.7).

In understanding the words “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (v.9), The JANT suggests: “To ‘see’ Jesus is not a visual experience but one of personal knowledge; therefore to know Jesus and to understand his life is to understand and know the life of God.”

In addition to affirming the connection between the Father and the Son (v.9), the gospel writer extended that connection so that all who believe in Jesus as the Christ by following Jesus’ example of love will share the connection to the Father and will do works even greater than those done by Jesus (v.12).

In The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic, Bishop Spong paraphrased verses 8 to 15 as follows: “God is not an external being that you must locate and recognize in some place. Look at me, Philip. I am in the Father and the Father is in me. God works in me; God speaks through me. That is your destiny also. The secret, however, is for you to keep the new commandment. You have to love, not for gain, but for love’s sake. When I am gone, the spirit of truth will come to you. This will be God dwelling in you and you dwelling in God.”

The promise of the Advocate/Paraclete/Comforter which is the “Spirit of truth” (vv. 16-17) is a force which will abide in true believers. The NOAB points out that the image of the “spirit of truth” is found in Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls) texts.

The JANT observes: “The term ‘paraclete’ can be both a legal term (advocate) and a relational term (comforter). In the Fourth Gospel, Jesus promises the paraclete to the disciples as the one who will continue to teach and guide them after Jesus returns to the Father….Although the Fourth Gospel does not present a well-developed Trinitarian view, according to which God, the Son and the Spirit together constitute the Divine, the paraclete passages imply that a process of differentiation between God and Spirit was already taking place in theological reflection.”

Spong’s understanding of verses 16 to 26 is instructive:

The spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, will come to stand where I have stood. This spirit, called the Counselor, will bear witness to me. As I abide in God…so you must abide in me.

What Jesus is describing here is not redemption of the fallen, but transformation of the open. There is and will be no separation in our oneness. God is part of you; you are part of God. The same life and love that flow from God through the vine of Christ will flow into God’s people who are the branches. There is now a mystical and mutual indwelling that will create a new humanity. Mutual indwelling is not to be understood as an authority-subject, a master-slave or even a savior-sinner relationship. It is rather a startling new way by which we are to understand the divine. We have abandoned the God from above the sky. That God has now entered life. We met this God first in Jesus, and now the world will see that God in those who will some day call themselves the “body of Christ.”

In interpreting verse 27, Spong offers: “The spirit will be the source of peace – not peace that is the mere absence of conflict, not peace as the world gives, but peace that is beyond the world’s conflict. It is the peace of being that which one most deeply is, the peace that enables one to bear pain, conflict and even death while knowing that nothing can finally destroy that person.”

2025, June 1 ~ Acts 16:16-34; Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21; John 17: 20-26

/in /by

TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JUNE 1, 2025

Acts 16:16-34

Reading

16 With Paul and Silas, we came to Philippi in Macedonia, a Roman colony, and, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” 18 She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. 34 He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Commentary

The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.

Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with Paul’s letters.

Today’s reading continues where last week’s reading left off by recounting Paul’s Second Missionary Journey, but the cast of characters is confusing. In 16:1-15, it seems that Paul’s companion was Timothy. But in 16:19, the story recounted that Paul and Silas were seized. Consistent with that statement, the compilers of the Revised Common Lectionary added the words “With Paul and Silas, we came to Philippi in Macedonia, a Roman colony, and” to the NRSV at the beginning of today’s reading.

As noted, Paul and Silas were going to the synagogue to make converts of “God Fearers” (Gentile sympathizers to Hellenistic Judaism who observed some Jewish practices and customs). According to Acts, this was Paul’s usual practice when he came to a new place.

As they went to the synagogue, a slave-girl who had powers of divination followed them for a number of days and called them “slaves of the Most High God” (v.17). The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that “Most High God” appears in numerous books of the Hebrew Bible, and also was applied to pagan deities. It was therefore also familiar to non-Jews. Paul got annoyed and exorcised the spirit of divination out of the slave-girl (v.18).

According to the story, the slave-girl “brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune telling” (v.16) and the owners of the slave-girl realized they had lost a lot of money because of Paul’s action. (The JANT observes that in other places, Acts disparages religious activities that yield financial gain.) The owners accused Paul and Silas of “advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe” (v.21). The New Oxford Annotated Bible understands this as an accusation that Paul and Silas were trying to convert Romans, which The NOAB says was unlawful. But The JANT says “while Roman magistrates might condemn anyone for offending public order, there was no general policy against Jews teaching non-Roman customs. No specific customs are mentioned; rather, Acts uses the general charge to impugn Jewish customs and perhaps Jews themselves, as being incompatible with Roman society.” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary says: “Their accusers attack them as Jews, based on the known Roman contempt for Jewish customs (citing Tacitus).”

Paul and Silas were flogged and imprisoned.

Just as the apostles were miraculously released from prison in Chapter 5 and Peter was freed in Chapter 12 of Acts, Paul and Silas’ chains were broken by an earthquake, another divine act. Though they were freed, they did not run away. The jailer’s thought of killing himself (v.27) was not an over-reaction. Herod had killed the guards when Peter escaped from prison with the assistance of an angel (Acts 12:19). The jailer was so moved by Paul’s and Silas’ remaining in the jail that he and all his household became Jesus Followers.

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Reading

12 At the end of the visions I, John, heard these words: “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

16 “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let everyone who hears say, “Come.” And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

20 The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that could be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age.

Like the apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil. Apocalyptic literature is often presented as a revelation from God conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. Apocalyptic writings used symbolic language to convey God’s hidden plan.

The author identified himself as “John” but most scholars conclude that the author of Revelation was not John the Apostle because of the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date the book to the late First Century.

Today’s reading consists of portions of the last chapter of Revelation – which chapter is regarded by scholars as an epilogue of visions, warnings and exhortations. In the chapter, the person speaking to John changes. Initially, it was an angel (vv.1,8), and then shifted to the risen Christ (v. 12) and Jesus (v.16). The risen Christ was presented as being the “Alpha and Omega” (v.13) and the images in verse 16 (“root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star”) are described by The JANT as “traditional Jewish messianic titles.” The speaker (presumably the Christ) says “I am coming soon” (v. 20).

Those who wash their robes in the Blood of the Lamb are understood to be those who have suffered persecution. They will have a right to the Tree of Life (v.14) and to enter the New Jerusalem.

The NJBC says this of the reference to “the bride” (v.17): “The bride is not simply a metaphor for the Christian community. Like the Spirit, she is an aspect of the divine which calls humanity to salvation.”

The JANT describes the closing (“Come Lord, come!”) as transliterated Greek from the Aramaic word “maranatha” (which also appears in 1 Cor. 16:22). It says that the phrase “may serve as an audience response to the preceding prophetic oracle, but its ritual function was to usher Christ’s eschatological return.”

It regards the last verse (“grace of the Lord be with all the saints”) as “John’s or an editor’s deliberate attempt to appropriate Pauline epistolary style into the prophetic framework.”

John 17:20-26

Reading

20 Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said. “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

25 “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Commentary

The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.

The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder that was to be held the night he died.

Most scholars agree that the Gospel was written around 95 CE, at a time when the “parting of the ways” between the Jesus Follower Movement and Rabbinic Judaism was accelerating.

Today’s reading is part of the “Farewell Discourse and Prayer of Jesus” that begins at 13:31 and continues to 17:26. There are numerous themes in the Discourse, and a substantial amount of repetition. Scholars suggest that some of the themes in the Discourse reflect the situation when the Gospel itself was written in the late First Century. Most agree that the Prayer in Chapter 17 constituted a separate unit.

Generally, the lengthy Discourse is divided into four units: (a) announcement of the hour and farewell; (b) exhortation to the disciples about the community in the face of external hostility; (c) consolation for the sorrowing disciples; and (d) Jesus’ prayer for the disciples.

Today’s reading is the last part of the prayer for the disciples and is also a prayer for all who will believe though the word of the disciples (v.20). This prayer concluded both the Farewell Discourses that began in 13:31 and the Jesus Prayer in Chapter 17. It is a prayer that Jesus offered for himself, for his disciples, and for future believers.

The prayer is consistent with the Prologue to the Fourth Gospel in that Jesus said, “you loved me before the foundation of the world” (v.24) just as the Prologue asserted “In the beginning was the LOGOS (1:1).

The prayer offered a sense of “vertical” unity between the Father and the Christ and also a “horizontal” unity between the Father/Son and the disciples/believers (v.21). The prayer continued that Jesus the Christ has made God’s name known to believers (v.26).

In The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic (pp. 205-206), Bishop John Shelby Spong offered this understanding of the final part of Jesus’ Prayer in Chapter 17 of the Gospel:

Unity, the inner connectedness of life and love, brings together God and the human, the Ground of Being and being. Again and again the Fourth Gospel drives home its point. God is not an external, distant entity; God is a life we enter, a love we share, the ground in which we are rooted. The call of Christ is not into religion, but into a new mystical oneness. The death of Jesus will not be the end of his life; it will be the moment when the meaning of God is ultimately revealed, the moment in which Jesus will be glorified, because the world will see God in him when he is on the cross. There Jesus will reveal God as the portrait of expanded life, limitless love, and enhanced being . It is an invitation to walk through the door of Christ (“I am the door,” John 10:9), to follow the way of Christ (“I am the way,” John 14:6) and to enter into the expanded life of Christ (I am the resurrection,” John 11:25).

The final part of this prayer asks that those who become followers may be with Christ “where I am to behold my glory “ (John 17:24). This is not a request to go to a place where one can be reassured by seeing what eyes cannot normally see. It is instead a request that the life of God, found in the person of the Christ, can be seen in the followers of Jesus and that we too may reveal the glory of God. It is a prayer that the essence of love may be “in them as I am in them.” The good news of the gospel, as John understands it, is not that you – a wretched, miserable, fallen sinner — have been rescued from your fate and saved from your deserved punishment by the invasive power of a supernatural, heroic God who came to your aid. Nowhere does John give credibility to the dreadful, guilt-producing and guilt-filled mantra that “Jesus died for my sins.” There is rather an incredible new insight into the meaning of life. We are not fallen; we are simply incomplete. We do not need to be rescued, but to experience the power of an all-embracing love. Our call is not to be forgiven or even to be redeemed; it is to step beyond our limits into a new understanding of what it means to be human. It is to move from a status of self-consciousness to a realization that we share in a universal consciousness. John’s rendition of Jesus’ message is that the essence of life is discovered when one is free to give life away, that love is known in the act of loving and the call of human life is to be all that each of us can be and then to be an agent of empowering others to be all that they can be.

That is the meaning to which the signs in John’s gospel point. That is the message spoken over and over in the Farewell Discourses. That is the essence of this prayer, which John has created to place upon the lips of Jesus.

2025, May 25 ~ Acts 16:9-15; Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5; John 14:23-29

/in /by

TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
MAY 25, 2025

Acts 16:9-15

Reading

9 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13 On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14 A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.

Commentary

The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.

Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with Paul’s letters.

The Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this. As with many of the events in Acts, they are initiated after a vision or one sort or another.

Today’s reading is one of the first stories from the second half of Acts which describes Paul’s missionary journeys. This trip is described as “Paul’s Second Missionary Journey” because it was a trip to “every city where we [Paul and Barnabas] proclaimed the word of the Lord” (15:36).

Regarding Paul’s vision (v.9) The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes: “This is the first of five visions for Luke’s Paul [citing examples], all of which but one come at night and fit into the broad stream of biblical and extra-biblical dream lore…. Like other venerated figures, Paul gets instruction and encouragement from heaven in dreams that precede momentous stages of his mission, particularly amid dangers that put its successful completion in doubt.”

At the time of his vision, Paul was in the areas called Troas (the largest city in which was Troy), a part of what is now northwestern Türkiye near the Strait of the Dardanelles. The trip from Troas to Philippi, an important Roman colony in Macedonia (northern Greece), was a sea voyage of about 75 miles from Troas with a stop at the island of Samothrace. Macedonia included Thessalonica, Philippi and Beroea.

Somewhat curiously, in the verses preceding Paul’s vision, he was “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia” (v.6) and “the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them” to go into Bithynia (v.8). Asia was a Roman province in western Asia Minor to the east of Troas and Bithynia was anoother Roman province to the east of Asia.

For the first time in Acts, the narrator became plural (“we immediately tried” in v.10), a usage that continued intermittently during the balance of the book. Based on the text of 16:1-8, it appears that the “we” is Paul, Timothy (Paul’s valued companion), and the author. The Jewish Annotated New Testament suggests the usage “may reflect either Luke’s use of an eyewitness source or his desire to create that impression.”

According to The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Philippi was “populated by discharged Roman soldiers [the enlistment term of Roman soldiers was 20-25 years] who received grants of land and enjoyed the special civil rights that pertained to a Roman Colony freedom from taxation, Roman legal procedures.”) Paul established a Jesus Follower community there and wrote at least one letter to the Philippians.

According to Acts, Paul often went to synagogues as a likely place to make converts to the Jesus Follower Movement (the Way), particularly among Gentiles who were sympathetic to Judaism (called “God Fearers”) and would have been in synagogue for Sabbath worship.

In today’s account, Lydia was described as “a worshiper of God” and a dealer in purple cloth (v.14). The NOAB says the phrase “worshiper of God” is understood as equivalent to a “God Fearer” or a “proselyte” or a person considering being a convert to Judaism. Purple cloth was one of the most expensive and was the color for rulers. As a dealer in purple cloth, Lydia was a person of means who had a “household” (v.15).

In saying that the “Lord opened Lydia’s heart” (v.14) – the author of Luke/Acts emphasized that the Holy Spirit was the force that brought about conversions to the Jesus Follower Movement. As was customary at the time, dependents followed the head of the household in religious matters, so Lydia’s household was also baptized (v.15).

Revelation 21:10, 22 – 22:5

Reading

10 In the spirit the angel carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

22 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will never be shut by day– and there will be no night there. 26 People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; 4 they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is unique in the Christian Scriptures, and also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that could be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age. The JANT points out that Revelation is focused on immanent events (“for the time is near” v.1:3).

The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that most scholars agree that the Book of Revelation “involves a series of parallel, interconnected, and yet ever progressing sections. It begins with a prologue, an epistolary salutation, and an inaugural vision which are followed by messages to each of the seven churches.

Apocalyptic literature was often presented as a revelation from God of heavenly secrets and prophesy (a disclosure of divine intentions) conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. Like the apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil and to convey God’s hidden plan.

This book purported to be a revelation by God through Jesus the Christ that was conveyed by an angel to “John” (1:1). Most scholars conclude that the author of Revelation was not John the Apostle because of the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date the book to the late First Century.

The author of Revelation had extensive knowledge of the Hebrew Bible, and the New Jerusalem was presented as an “idealized” place.

Today’s reading is from the last two chapters of Revelation and has a vision of a New Jerusalem coming out of heaven (v.10). (Most of Jerusalem, including the Temple, was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, about 30 years before Revelation was written.) The NJBC suggests that this mountain is the “idealized Mount Zion” and “river of living water” (v.22:1) reflects “the traditional idea that a sacred stream issues forth from the cosmic mountain.”

The NOAB describes the phrase “in the spirit” (v.10) as “a state of prophetic ecstasy, a state of altered consciousness” similar to that found in the Book of Ezekiel. The tour of the heavenly city recalled God’s heavenly temple in Ezekiel 40-42.

The New Jerusalem needed no Temple (v.22) because God and the Lamb are its “Temple.” The New Jerusalem was a place of safety (its gates never need to close). It did not need the sun or the moon to give it light (v.23).The river of the water of life (v.1) was a reference to Eden in Genesis. In the New Jerusalem, the people see God’s face (are fully aware of God’s presence), just as Moses spoke with God face to face.

The phrase “nothing accursed shall be found there” (v.3) was a reversal of the curses (bad consequences) of the Disobedience Event in Eden (Gen. 3:14-19). The NJBC notes that the phrase represents “the idea of the separation of the holy and the common or profane as in Ezek. 44:23” and that “God is reconciled with the nations rather than cursing them (as in Isaiah 34).”

The Jewish Annotated New Testament comments on this passage as follows: “Given God’s inextricable connection to the Jerusalem Temple in biblical tradition [citing passages], it is no surprise that texts from Ezekiel and Deutero-Isaiah to 1 Enoch and the Dead Sea Scrolls all imagined a great eternal Temple as the centerpiece of God’s new creation [citing numerous examples]. In deliberately noting the absence of an eschatological Temple, John perhaps imagines that such a structure will not exist…. But here in Revelation, the divine presence is imagined as dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem by virtue of its purity and architecture, not a temple per se.”

John 14:23-29

Reading

23 Jesus said to Judas (not Iscariot), “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me.

25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And now, I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.”

Commentary

The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.

The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder that was to be held the night he died.

Most scholars agree that the Gospel was written around 95 CE, at a time when the “parting of the ways” between the Jesus Follower Movement and Rabbinic Judaism was accelerating.

Today’s reading is part of the “Farewell Discourse and Prayer of Jesus” that begins at 13:31 and continues to 17:26. There are numerous themes in the Discourse, and a substantial amount of repetition. Scholars suggest that some of the themes in the Discourse reflect the situation when the Gospel itself was written in the late First Century. Most agree that the Prayer in Chapter 17 constituted a separate unit.

Generally, the lengthy Discourse is divided into four units: (a) announcement of the hour and farewell; (b) exhortation to the disciples about the community in the face of external hostility; (c) consolation for the sorrowing disciples; and (d) Jesus’ prayer for the disciples.

Today’s reading is part of the first section, and Jesus’ response was to a question posed by Judas (not Iscariot), “Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?”

The Fourth Gospel followed the tradition from Luke 6:16 and Acts 1.13, that there were two apostles named Judas – Judas, son of James and Judas Iscariot. Other (and slightly different) lists of the 12 apostles are in Matt. 10 and Mark 3 and these lists contain only one Judas. All the lists of the apostles put Peter first and Judas last.

An interpretation of Jesus’ response offered by Bishop John Shelby Spong in The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic is informative.

Jesus says: You must understand that this manifestation is an internal one, not an external one. The revelation of God comes with the ability to love beyond your limits. If you love me, you will keep my word to love one another and the Father will love you as the Father has loved me. Then the Father and the son will come to you and dwell in you. We will make our home in you – this is Jesus’ summation.

Jesus concludes this part of the discourse by saying, “I have spoken to you while I am still with you” (John 14:25). He then tries to prepare his disciples for his absence. The Holy Spirit will come when I am gone, he says. The spirit will teach you all things and will bring to remembrance all that I have said. I leave you with peace. It is not the kind of peace the world seeks, but it is the kind of peace that will enable you to grasp the reality you will have to endure. Rejoice, because I go to the Father and only when I depart can the spirit come to you . Please recognize that the world has no power over me. The world can not kill who I am. I am part of who God is and you will be also. I do what the Father commands because I love the Father. You do what I command because you love me. That is the pathway to understanding.

Regarding the “Advocate, the Holy Spirit” (v.26), The JANT says: “Gk. parakletos, one who stands beside, a supporter or comforter who is the Sprit of Truth….This passage influenced Christian thought about the nature and role of the Holy Spirit.”

2025, May 18 ~ Acta 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35

/in /by

TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
MAY 18, 2025

Acts 11:1-18

Reading

1 Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, 3 saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” 4 Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance, I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. 6 As I looked at it closely, I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, `Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I replied, `By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a second time the voice answered from heaven, `What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ 10 This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. 11 At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, `Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; 14 he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, `John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” 18 When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

Commentary

The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.

Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with Paul’s letters.

The Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this.

Today’s reading serves as a predicate for the decision made at the so-called Council of Jerusalem.

In his response in Jerusalem to the “circumcised believers,” Peter defended his eating with Gentiles (which would have rendered him ritually unclean) by recounting his vision of foods that was previously described in Acts 10:10-16. In the vision, God told Peter not to call “profane” that which God made clean (10:15 and 11:9). The Jewish Annotated New Testament observes: “The objection to Peter’s eating with Gentiles, rather than converting Jews, reinforces an image that Jews are the xenophobic.” The JANT continues: “It was not unlawful for a Jew to associate with or or to visit a Gentile. While some Jews may have concurred with Peter’s statement (10:28), most would have had regular contacts with Gentiles, while probably taking care to avoid idolatry and prohibited foods [citing sources]. Nonetheless, the idea that Jews did not associate with Gentiles was common [citing Philo and Tacitus].”

Peter went on to tell the Jesus Followers in Jerusalem that the Holy Spirit “fell upon them [the Gentiles] just as it had upon us at the beginning” (v.15) – a reference to the tongues of fire upon the disciples on Pentecost (2:1-4). The JANT notes that the conversion of the head of a household brought about the conversion of the entire household (v.18).

The entire account re-emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit as the force that brought the Gospel to the Gentiles.

Revelation 21:1-6

Reading

1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them;

4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”

5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.”

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is unique in the Christian Scriptures, and also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that could be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age. The JANT points out that Revelation is focused on immanent events (“for the time is near” v.3).

The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that most scholars agree that the Book of Revelation “involves a series of parallel, interconnected, and yet ever progressing sections. It begins with a prologue (1.13), an epistolary salutation (1.4-8), and an inaugural vision (1.9-20), which are followed by messages to each of the seven churches (2.1-3.22).

Apocalyptic literature was often presented as a revelation from God of heavenly secrets and prophesy (a disclosure of divine intentions) conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. This book purported to be a revelation by God through Jesus the Christ that was conveyed by an angel to “John” (1:1). Most scholars conclude that the author of Revelation was not John the Apostle because of the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date the book to the late First Century.

Like the apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil.

Today’s reading is from the next to last chapter of the book. In it, the author stated that good has prevailed, the world entered a new phase, and the time of the New Jerusalem has begun. It is a time of renewal of creation, freed of imperfections, and transformed by God. The New Jerusalem was presented as a bride (v.2) who welcomed the Lamb (v.9) as her husband (19:7-10), in contrast to Rome portrayed as the whore Babylon in Chapters 17 and 18.

The author declared that turbulence and unrest (using the metaphor of the sea as a symbol of chaos and disorder) have been overcome (v.1), a victory of creation over chaos and life over death. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that these verses present the seventh vision in the last series and focus on salvation. The old heaven and earth are destroyed (20:11). The New Jerusalem will be a home to God among mortals (v.3).

Echoing Ezekiel 37 (the Valley of the Dry Bones), the author affirmed that God will be with his “peoples” (v.3) – a reference to both Jews and Gentiles. The author also quoted from the “Isaiah Apocalypse” (Isaiah 25) and declared that death is no more (v.4). As Christians, we affirm that Resurrection overcomes death for all.

God speaks directly in verses 5 and 6 as the one who is making all things new, and as Alpha and Omega, an echo of 1:8. The promise of water is derived from Isaiah 55:1a (“Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the water.”)

The JANT notes that in spite of the Biblical tradition in the Hebrew Scriptures of God’s connection to the Jerusalem Temple, the author of Revelation deliberately eliminated a Temple. Instead, “the very boundaries of John’s holy city, not a particular building in it, constitutes the perfection that allows the divine presence to dwell there….In Revelation, the divine presence is imagined as dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem by virtue of its purity and architecture, not a temple per se.”

John 13:31-35

Reading

31 At the last supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Commentary

The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.

The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder that was to be held the night he died. At the Last Supper in this Gospel, there was no institution of the Eucharist, and Jesus washed the feet of the disciples.

Most scholars agree that the Gospel was written around 95 CE, at a time when the “parting of the ways” between the Jesus Follower Movement and Rabbinic Judaism was accelerating.

Today’s reading is placed between the departure of Judas to betray Jesus (v.30) and the exchange between Jesus and Peter in which Jesus predicted Peter would deny him three times (vv. 36-38).

Today’s reading is the beginning of the “Farewell Discourse” of Jesus that continued in Chapters 14, 15, 16 and 17. The Farewell Discourse is reminiscent of Moses’ farewell discourse (the Book of Deuteronomy) and the shorter farewell speech of King David (2 Sam. 23).

The reading is significant in that Jesus announced his departure to a place the disciples “cannot come” (v.33); and there is a statement that the Son of Man has been “glorified” and that God has been “glorified in him” (v.31).

In his book, The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic, Bishop Spong understands this verse as follows: “It is a strange sentence, but what it is saying is that when Jesus reveals that he can give himself away totally, people will see God’s glory in him and he will become part of who God is and God will become part of who he is. In Jesus’ humanity – his full unbroken humanity – the divine presence will be revealed. The human and the divine are not two separate realms. God is not external. God does not have to enter the world from some other realm. When a human life is open to all that humanity can be, humanity and divinity flow together as one. It was and is a radical insight, and one the consciousness of the mystic is destined to understand.”

In these verses, Jesus also gave a “new” commandment (v.34) that the disciples (and by extension, we) should love one another as he loved them. The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that the commandment is not entirely “new” in that it is largely based on Lev.19:18b (“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”) and Lev.19:34 (“You shall love the alien as yourself”), both of which Jesus would have known well.

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary asserts, however, that the commandment is “new” because “it is grounded not in the love commands of the Jewish tradition… but in the self-offering of Jesus.”

Again, Bishop Spong is instructive: “In the first epistle of John…God is defined as love. Love is not an entity so much as it is a penetrating experience. ‘God is love’ this epistle states. Might the author also mean that ‘love is God’ flowing through human life? Love is seen in the ability to be free of the survival-driven existence, free to give one’s life away. Love embraces people just as they are. Love is not separate from God. One cannot say: ‘I love God’ and hate one’s brother or sister. No one can create love. One can only receive it, and when it has been received it must be immediately shared. Love cannot be stored. It cannot be saved for a rainy day. It cannot be used later like leftovers. Love that is not passed on dies. Love is the power that binds us to God and to one another. Love is the meaning of Jesus.”

2025, May 11 ~ Acts 9:36-43; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30

/in /by

TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
MAY 11, 2025

Acts 9:36-43

Reading

36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. 37 At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” 39 So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. 40 Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. 42 This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

Commentary

The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.

Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with Paul’s letters.

The Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this.

Today’s reading follows a brief description of Paul’s activities in Damascus, in Jerusalem and his escape to Tarsus when the “Hellenists” (Greek speaking Jewish opponents of Paul) sought to kill him. It also follows a story of a healing by Peter of a man who had been paralyzed for eight years in the city of Lydda.

Today’s reading is set in Joppa (which is modern Jaffa, a city on the Mediterranean, near Tel Aviv, about 35 miles northwest of Jerusalem and 11 miles northwest of Lydda. According to the NRSV translators’ notes, the woman’s name, Tabitha (in Aramaic) or Dorcas (in Greek) means “gazelle” in both languages. Tabitha is the only woman in the Christian Scriptures who is specifically identified as a “disciple.”

Peter’s raising Tabitha from the dead is reminiscent in style and manner to Jesus’ raising Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:41; Mark 5:22), Elijah’s raising the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:22), and Elisha’s raising the son of the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:33).

Some scholars suggest that Peter’s residing with Simon the tanner (v.43) may have been included by the author of Acts as a segue to the conversion of Cornelius the Centurion (a Gentile) in Chapter 10. The New Oxford Annotated Bible states that tanning animal hides would have rendered Simon the tanner (and perhaps his house) ritually unclean.

Revelation 7:9-17

Reading

9 I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat,

17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that could be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age.

Like the apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil. Apocalyptic literature is often presented as a revelation from God conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. Apocalyptic writings used symbolic language to convey God’s hidden plan.

The author identified himself as “John” but most scholars conclude that the author of Revelation was not John the Apostle because of the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date the book to the late First Century.

Today’s reading is the last part of Chapter 7, which The NOAB describes as “an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals: two visions which provide the promise of divine protection for the faithful during the time of tribulation (vv.1-8) and assurance of ultimate salvation (vv.9-17).” It continues: “A seal (Ezek 9:4-6) marks those under God’s protection. Seals were used to signify ownership or authorship.” Regarding seals, The Jewish Annotated New Testament comments: “In the interconnected world of heavenly symbols, the seals [that were] holding the scroll closed [when they were opened] each released an angel of vengeance or catastrophe (reminiscent of those in Ezek 9.2), [and they were] each linked to horses in a way that indicates the inspiration of Zech 6.”

The JANT notes that because the great multitude (v.9) comes “from every nation, from all tribes, and peoples and languages” these were Gentiles who had “become sanctified and became like priests, servants before the heavenly throne and within the heavenly Temple.”

In today’s reading, those who worship the Lamb have symbols of righteousness (white robes) and victory (palm branches) (v.9) because blood (sacrifice) washes the robes and leads to victory (white). The idyllic state that is described in verse 16 (hunger and thirst no more) is derived from Isaiah 49:10 (which related to the return from the Exile).

Paradoxically, the Lamb is also the shepherd and is located at the center of the throne (v.17). The JANT says this “does not imply a merging with God but rather anticipates its eschatological position on Mount Zion (14.1) and at the center of the New Jerusalem (21.22-23).”

God as “shepherd” is best known from Psalm 23 and the “Good Shepherd” in the Fourth Gospel. The idea that God will wipe away every tear is derived from Isaiah 25.8, as part of what is called the “Isaiah Apocalypse.”

The verse immediately following this reading is: “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about a half an hour” (8:1).

John 10:22-30

Reading

22 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”

Commentary

The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.

The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder that was to be held the night he died.

Most scholars agree that the Gospel was written around 95 CE, at a time when the “parting of the ways” between the Jesus Follower Movement and Rabbinic Judaism was accelerating.

The Feast of the Dedication (v.22) remembered the re-dedication of the Temple in 164 BCE after it was desecrated by Antiochus IV, an event that had led to the Maccabean Revolt in 167 BCE. The Feast is celebrated now as Hanukkah. The JANT notes that it is not clear how the feast would have been celebrated in the First Century.

“The Jews” (v.24) is the “code word” in the Fourth Gospel for the Temple Authorities, High Priests, and the leaders of the Pharisees. In most places in the Fourth Gospel, it does not designate the Jewish People.

Earlier in this chapter, Jesus described himself as the “gate” through which the sheep enter (v.7) and himself as the “good shepherd” (v.11) so his response to the authorities that “you do not belong to my sheep” (v.26) reflected the incipient “parting of the ways” in the late First Century.

Jesus’ statement “The Father and I are one” would have been seen as a denial of monotheism by the Temple Authorities. The JANT observes: “The Gospel’s Jews apparently take this statement as an indication that Jesus is making himself equal to God (as in 5.17-18). In the context of the Gospel, this unity may also, or instead, refer to the singleness of purpose; since Jesus does the Father’s will, they work as one through Jesus’ activity in the world.”

The Authorities were prepared to stone him (v.31) – the prescribed punishment for blasphemy (Lev.29:16). After a short verbal exchange with the Temple Authorities (vv. 32-37), Jesus escaped across the Jordan to Perea (vv. 39-40) – an area about 20 miles from Jerusalem.

2025, May 4 ~ Acts 9:1-20; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19

/in /by

TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
MAY 4, 2025

Acts 9:1-20

Reading

1 Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; 16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

Commentary

The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.

Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with Paul’s letters.

Today’s reading is the “Acts 9 version” of Saul/Paul’s conversion – his “Damascus Road Experience.” Other – and somewhat different — versions of this story can be found in Acts 22, Acts 26 and in Galatians 1.

This version of Paul’s conversion connected Saul to the stoning of Stephen in Jerusalem (Acts 7:58) and concluded with Saul’s “theophany” (an appearance of God) in which Saul had a conversation with Jesus (vv.4-6). The reference to “the Way” (v.2) is to the Jesus Follower Movement which was regarded as a sect within Judaism until late in the First Century. The New Oxford Annotated Bible and The Jewish Annotated New Testament point out that as shown by the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Essene community also referred to itself as the Way.

The JANT notes that Acts presented the Jewish priesthood as “staunchly antagonistic towards Christians” and that Acts “ascribes [in verse 2] to the high priest legal authority he did not possess over Jews in the diaspora community.” It also observes that Damascus was, at that time, a large city with a sizeable Jewish community.

According to Gal. 1:18, Paul spent three years in Damascus. Acts does not record how or when the Jesus Follower Movement came to Damascus.

After Acts 13:9, Saul was called Paul in Acts of the Apostles. “Paul” is a Roman version of the Hebrew name “Saul.” Notwithstanding Caravaggio’s famous painting, Paul would NOT have been on a horse; only ranking Romans could use and afford horses.

Verses 7 to 20 reflect the fact that the book of Acts contains materials from different traditions that developed between 40 and 85 CE. For example, this account says that the men with Saul heard a voice but saw no one. Acts 22:9 says they saw the light but did not hear the voice. The author of Acts also presented Saul as a prophet chosen for a special purpose by God (v.15). As a devout Jew, Paul began his preaching in synagogues (v.20).

The street called Straight (v.13) is identified as Darb-el-Mostakim, a major east-west street in the Old City of Damascus. Tarsus, the city from which Paul came, is a coastal city on the south shore of what is now central Türkiye.

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that Paul’s baptism (v.19) is not mentioned in any of Paul’s epistles.

Revelation 5:11-14

Reading

11 I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 singing with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that could be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age.

Like the apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil. Apocalyptic literature is often presented as a revelation from God conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. Apocalyptic writings used symbolic language to convey God’s hidden plan.

The author identified himself as “John” but most scholars conclude that the author of Revelation was not John the Apostle because of the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date the book to the late First Century. The JANT points out that some Jesus Followers in the Second Century attributed authorship to John the Apostle, and this, in part, led to acceptance of the book by the Christian community.

The author of Revelation had extensive knowledge of the Hebrew Bible. Today’s reading is a part of a long series of images (Chapters 4 to 22) that are “seen” by the author. For example, the author sees “thousands and thousands of angels (v.11), an image derived from Dan. 7:10 (another apocalyptic book).

The JANT observes that Revelation was accepted by the early Christian community in large measure because it used images from the Hebrew Bible, particularly those of Ezekiel, and that these images would have been known by the Jesus Followers. The JANT points out: the author used the idea of divine marks or seals (Rev 7, 9), which was a parallel to Ezekiel 8-9. The author was instructed to eat the angel’s scroll and noted its sweet taste (Rev. 10:8-11), a theme borrowed from Ezek 3. The defeat of mysterious enemies (Gog and Magog) in Rev 19 and 20 depended on Ezekiel’s description of these peoples’ destruction in Ezek 38-39. The fall of the “whore Rome” (Rev 18) drew from Ezekiel’s “pornographic tale of the shaming of the two sisters” in Ezek 23. The measure of Jerusalem before and after its destruction (11.1-2, 21) followed Ezekiel’s actions in the heavenly Temple (Ezek 40 and 42).

The verses that precede today’s reading in Chapter 5 present a scroll (v.1) which The NOAB describes as “containing the divine plan of judgment and salvation” This scroll was sealed and was “therefore both unalterable and unknown to others, and no created being is worthy to carry out God’s plan. Only the Messiah [“the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (v.5)] can do so.” The NJBC comments: “The context suggests that the scroll with seven seals is a book of destiny in which events of the end-time are recorded (Dan 10:21; 1 Enoch 81:1-3). Opening the seals is equivalent to causing these events to occur. The eschatological events are depicted in the sequences of seven seals and seven trumpets.”

The NJBC notes that vv.13 and 14 in today’s reading can be understood as follows: “The acclamations of large numbers of beings of every class and the elders’ act of prostration recalls the honors given to the Roman emperor [citations]. The offering of these honors to God and the Lamb rather than the emperor reflects John’s vision of the conflict between the rule of God and the rule of Caesar.”

The “Lamb” (v. 12) is the Passover Lamb which brings liberation in the Hebrew Bible. Only the Fourth Gospel referred to Jesus the Christ as “the Lamb of God” (Jn. 1:29, 35). The author of Revelation said that all creatures gave praise to the Lamb and to “the one seated on the throne” (God) equally (v.13) but clearly distinguished between the two.

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary says that the “four living creatures” (v.14) is “a new literary creation, although individual motifs are borrowed from Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1.”

John 21:1-19

Reading

1 Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Commentary

The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.

The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder that was to be held the night he died.

Most scholars agree that the Gospel was written around 95 CE, at a time when the “parting of the ways” between the Jesus Follower Movement and Rabbinic Judaism was accelerating.

Today’s reading is almost all of Chapter 21 of the Fourth Gospel, and most scholars agree that it is an “Epilogue” and was added at some time in the Second Century. John 20:31 has a tone of finality about it (“But these are written so that you may come to believe [other authorities read “may continue to believe”] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”)

The two other appearances of the Resurrected Christ described by John occurred in Jerusalem but the appearance in Chapter 21 was in the Galilee.

According to The NOAB, Jesus’ addressing the disciples as “Children” in verse 5 is a colloquialism that means “boys.” The JANT points out that “it is odd that Peter dresses but then jumps into the sea” in verse 7.

Regarding the 153 fish caught (v.11), The JANT observes: “Jerome states that Greek zoologists recorded 153 types of fish, so the number symbolizes the universality of the Gospel’s message and mission; Augustine notes that 153 is the sum of all numbers from 1-17.”

These accounts continue to show that it was difficult to recognize the Resurrected Christ as Jesus. The disciple whom Jesus loved recognized him as the Lord (v.7) but the disciples seem not to be sure. This is shown by the somewhat confusing verse 12b (“Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord.”)

This account makes the Resurrected Christ more “corporeal” than the two appearances in the upper room. Jesus made a fire and cooked breakfast for the disciples. (The meal of bread and fish is a reminder of the feeding of the 5,000 in Chapter 6.)

The conversation between Jesus and Peter (vv.15-19) is a parallel to Peter’s denial of Jesus three times. The phrase “when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands” is understood as a reference to the tradition that Peter had to stretch out his arms when was crucified in Rome under Nero (64-68 CE).

2025, April 27 ~ Acts 5:27-32; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31

/in /by

TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
APRIL 27, 2025
LOW SUNDAY

Acts 5:27-32

Reading

27 When the temple police had brought the apostles, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Commentary

The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.

Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with Paul’s letters.

The Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles saw the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this.

Today’s reading was set in the early days of the Jesus Follower Movement in Jerusalem. The Jesus Follower Movement remained a sect within Judaism even after the Destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 CE.

In the verses leading up to today’s reading, the apostles were preaching in the Temple (vv.12 and 25). There, they were arrested by the Temple Authorities for heresy (v.18) and brought before the religious ruling body, the council, also called the Sanhedrin (v.27).

In today’s reading, the high priest appeared to try to exonerate the Sanhedrin from the death of Jesus by saying the apostles were “determined to bring this man’s blood on us” (v. 28). Peter and the apostles responded to their accusers by saying they “must obey God rather than any human authority” (v.29) which The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out was also voiced by Socrates, by Jewish messianic and nationalist groups such as the Fourth Philosophy (the Zealots and Sicarii), and by the leaders at Masada.

They went on by delivering a concise summary of the theology expressed in Acts of the Apostles – that Jesus is the “Leader” and Savior who brought repentance and forgiveness (v.31).

The use of the term “Leader” is an unusual title to give to Jesus the Christ. In Greek, the word used was “Archēgon” and is translated as “Prince” in some other translations. The same Greek word is used in Acts 3:15 and is translated in the NRSV as “Author” of life. In another recent translation, the phrase in 3:15 is translated as “the leader in the Way of Life.”

The reference to the death of Jesus in verse 30 (“whom you had killed”) was directed at the Sanhedrin (not all Jews). The Sanhedrin (or at least the leaders of the Sanhedrin) likely worked with the Romans in initiating the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth.

The JANT notes that the reference “hanging him on a tree” (v.30) is derived from Deuteronomy 21:23-24 which says: “When someone is convicted of a crime punishable by death and is executed, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse must not remain all night upon the tree; you shall bury him that same day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not defile the land that the LORD your God is giving you for possession.”

The JANT interprets vv.31-32 as follows: “Obedience to God now entails acknowledging Jesus’ authority beside God, through whom comes forgiveness of sins.”

Revelation 1:4-8

Reading

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7 Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is unique in the Christian Scriptures, and also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that could be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age. The JANT points out that Revelation is focused on immanent events (“for the time is near” v.3).

The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that most scholars agree that the Book of Revelation “involves a series of parallel, interconnected, and yet ever progressing sections. It begins with a prologue (1.13), an epistolary salutation (1.4-8), and an inaugural vision (1.9-20), which are followed by messages to each of the seven churches (2.1-3.22).

Apocalyptic literature was often presented as a revelation from God of heavenly secrets and prophesy (a disclosure of divine intentions) conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. This book purported to be a revelation by God through Jesus the Christ that was conveyed by an angel to “John” (1:1). Most scholars conclude that the author of Revelation was not John the Apostle because of the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date the book to the late First Century.

Like the apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil. Apocalyptic writings used symbolic language to convey God’s hidden plan. The NOAB opined: “The seven spirits [v.4] are either a symbolic reference to the manifold energies of the spirit of God (Isa 11.2) or a reference to the seven principal angels of God (Tob 12.15; 1 Enoch 20.1-8). Seven, the number of completion or wholeness … is the most important symbolic number in Revelation.”

The JANT observes that referring to Jesus as “the firstborn of the dead” (v.5) implies his resurrection was the first of an imminent general resurrection.

The author of Revelation had extensive knowledge of the Hebrew Bible. The JANT states the references to “kingdom and priests” are “symbols of eschatological perfection paralleled at Qumran, in Jubilees, and echoed throughout Revelation.” The words “glory and dominion” (v. 6) and “coming on the clouds” (v.7) were taken from Dan. 7:13-14 (another apocalyptic book). The reference to “being pierced” (v.7) was from Zech. 12:10. By using these references, the author of Revelation sought to present Jesus the Christ in images that were familiar to his audience.

Verse 8 is one of the two times when God is identified as the speaker in Revelation. The other is 21:5-8.

John 20:19-31

Reading

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Commentary

The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many of the stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.

Most scholars agree that the Gospel was written around 95 CE, at a time when the “parting of the ways” between the Jesus Follower Movement and Rabbinic Judaism was accelerating.

Today’s reading is another account that is not found in the Synoptic Gospels. It begins in a room that is locked “for fear of the Jews” (v.19), which should be understood as fear of the Judean Temple Authorities. The evening is on the first day of the week, the same day that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb before dawn.

Reflecting the ambivalence about the “physicality” of the Resurrected Christ, Jesus seemed to walk through walls and locked doors and stood among the disciples (v.19 and v.26). The NOAB and The JANT note that “Peace be with you” (v.19b) is a typical Jewish greeting.

The disciples did not recognize him, however, until he showed them his wounds (v.20). Only John’s Gospel speaks of a wound in Jesus’ side (19:34) which also remains (vv.20 and 27). Although invited to do so, it does not appear from the text that Thomas touched the wounds. Even in a resurrected state, Jesus (and we) will continue to have wounds.

The Commissioning of the disciples (v.21) is analogous to the Great Commission in Matt. 28:19, and the imparting of the Holy Spirit (vv.22-23) is sometimes called “Little Pentecost” – as compared to the longer Pentecost account in Acts 2:1-4. Breathing upon the disciples is also reminiscent of YHWH’s imparting the breath of life to the human made of the soil (adamah) in Genesis 2:7.

The JANT notes that Thomas’ statement (v.28) is a paraphrase of Psalm 35:23b (“My God and Lord”).

Some ancient manuscripts included a verse 31 that is translated as “you may continue to believe.” This text would have indicated that the intended audience of the Gospel was persons who were already believers. The words “you may come to believe” in verse 31 in the NRSV would indicate that the Gospel’s intended audience was non-believers.

Many scholars believe that the Fourth Gospel ended with verses 30 and 31, and that Chapter 21 (which describes an appearance of the Resurrected Christ in Tiberius by the Sea of Galilee) was added in the Second Century.

2025, April 20 ~ Acts 10:34-43; 1 Corinthians 15: 19-26; John 20:1-18

/in /by

TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
APRIL 20, 2025
EASTER SUNDAY PRINCIPAL SERVICE

Acts 10:34-43

Reading

34 Peter began to speak to Cornelius and the other Gentiles: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ–he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Commentary

The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.

Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with Paul’s letters.

The Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this.

As background to today’s reading in Chapter 10, Peter fell into a trance (v.10) and saw a sheet filled with foods regarded by Jews as profane or unclean. A voice admonished him that what God made clean shall not be called profane (v. 15). Soon after, Peter converted a Gentile, Cornelius the Centurion, at the behest of the Spirit (v.19).

In today’s reading, Peter gave a speech that was a synopsis of the major themes in the Gospel According to Luke (vv. 34-43). it is noteworthy that the author presented Peter’s speech as saying that “they” put Jesus to death (v.39) without specifying who the “they” were. Peter continued that it was God who allowed the Resurrected Christ to appear (v.40), but not to all people, but only those chosen by God as witnesses (v.41). Consistent with Luke’s Gospel in which the Resurrected Christ ate a piece of fish (Luke 24:42), Peter asserted that the Risen Christ ate and drank with the “chosen witnesses” (v.41).

In the verses that follow today’s reading, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard Peter’s speech, an event which The Jewish Annotated New Testament says “repeats the events of Pentecost.” The “circumcised believers” (v. 45) were Jewish Jesus Followers. They were astounded that the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon Gentiles (v. 47).

The text says the Jewish Jesus Followers knew that the Holy Spirit had come upon the Gentiles because “they were speaking in tongues and extolling God” (v.46). The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that there is a difference between “speaking in tongues” and the disciples’ ability to be understood by persons in their own language on Pentecost (Acts 2:4-11). Peter baptized these Gentile Jesus Followers.

The JANT interprets these events as follows: “God’s people are no longer constituted by the ethnic division between Jew and Gentile but by a religious distinction, those who fear God, as manifested by accepting Jesus as Lord, and do what is right, and those who neither believe nor act appropriately.”

These three events – the sheet of “unclean foods,” the conversion of Cornelius, and the baptism of the Gentiles upon whom the Holy Spirit was poured – are presented in Acts as critical “precedents” to the spread of the Jesus Follower Movement to Gentiles.

This expansion was “ratified” at the so-called Council of Jerusalem in 49 CE (Acts 15). At this “Council,” Peter and Paul testified about the Spirit’s coming upon Gentiles. James (the brother of Jesus and head of the Jerusalem Jesus Follower Community) made the decision that Gentiles did not have to convert to Judaism by observing a strict kosher diet and by being circumcised to become Jesus Followers.

Following the Council, Acts of the Apostles turned its focus to Paul’s missions to the Gentiles.

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Reading

19 If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. 21 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; 22 for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Commentary

Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.

It is one of Paul’s most important letters because it is one of the earliest proclamations of Jesus’ death on behalf of sinners and his resurrection and it contains the basic formula for celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

Today’s reading is part of Paul’s extended discussion of “resurrection of the dead” in Chapter 15. In the verses just before today’s reading, Paul recognized that the Corinthians were Hellenists who generally accepted the Platonic division between the body and the “immortal soul.” Paul emphasized, however, that not only the body is resurrected, but the entire person, and Paul used the words “resurrection of the dead” to encompass the entirety of resurrection. Paul emphasized that the Resurrection of the Christ was not a one-time event, but was the inauguration of the general resurrection.

In the verses just before today’s reading, Paul acknowledged that if there is no resurrection of the dead, Jesus the Christ could not have been raised (v.16). And if there is no Resurrection of the Christ, Paul said there is no basis for salvation (v.17) and that believers’ faith would be in vain (v.14).

The JANT understands the first verse of today’s reading (“If for this life only we have hoped in Christ”) to mean that it would not be appropriate to think the Resurrection would produce “only this-worldly benefits.”

Paul asserted Jesus the Christ has been raised “as the first fruits” of those who have died (v.20). As a First Century Jew, Paul believed that death itself was the result of Adam’s disobedience (v.21), and asserted that resurrection of the dead also came through a human being – Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.

The JANT understands verses 24 and 25 as follows: “[For he must] reign, Christ’s rule precedes the end (v.24) when God reigns. Rabbinic tradition similarly distinguishes between the era of messianic rule from the age of God’s kingdom, the world to come.”

The NJBC comments on these verses as follows: “Within history, Christ exercises the sovereignty of God, but once history comes to its end (v24a), there will be no more struggle (v24b), and so he will remit into the hands of his Father the authority given him for his mission of salvation. The subordination of Christ to God (3:23) creates problems for dogmatic theologians.” 1 Cor. 3:23 reads: “and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.”

Because Jesus the Christ has been resurrected, death has been destroyed (v.26).

John 20:1-18

Reading

1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Commentary

The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.

The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time the lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder that was to be held the night he died.

In all the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection, the women who go to the tomb are different in each account (Matthew — Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary;” Mark – Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome; Luke – Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women; John – Mary Magdalene). The one constant is Mary Magdalene.

In the Synoptic Gospels, the reason all the events had to occur on the first day of the week is that the followers of Jesus, as Jews, would be required to wait until the Sabbath ended on Saturday night before going to do the “work” of anointing the body. There is no reason given in the Fourth Gospel for Mary Magdalene’s going to the tomb.

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that inconsistencies in the story in John show that the author relied on at least two other sources. For example, Mary Magdalene went alone to the tomb, but the use of the plural in “we do not know where they have laid him” (v. 2) indicates that in another tradition other women were with her.

The “other disciple” the one whom Jesus loved (v.2) is not named, but some scholars suggest it was Lazarus. Other traditions hold that it was John, the Apostle.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that linen (v.5) was regarded as a sign of immortality and that grave robbers would not have left the linen behind.

Although the text says that according to the scripture “he [Messiah] must rise from the dead” (v.9), The Jewish Annotated New Testament correctly points out that “there is no quotation referring to this from the Tanakh.” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary agrees. The JANT continues: “This may be a general comment similar to 1 Cor 15.4: ‘He was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures’.” This is the same language as in the Nicene Creed, except that the Creed uses the active voice (“he rose again”) rather than the passive voice in Corinthians (“was raised”).

Even though Mary Magdalene and the Risen Christ had a “conversation” (v.15), she did not recognize the Risen Christ as Jesus until he spoke her name (v.16).

In verse 17, Jesus referred to the disciples as “my brothers” and the phrase “I am ascending to my Father and your Father” is understood by The NJBC as the Evangelist’s seeing Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, exaltation and return to heavenly glory as part of a single event. The NJBC continues: “One is not to think of Jesus’ resurrection as though Jesus had returned to life and then later ascended into heaven. Rather, Jesus has passed to an entirely different reality.”

2025, January 12 ~ Isaiah 43:1-7; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17,21-22

/in /by

TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JANUARY 12, 2025

Isaiah 43:1-7

Reading

1 Thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you;
6 I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth —
7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Commentary

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE.

Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.

Today’s reading is from Second Isaiah and is a poetic oracle of salvation in which the prophet spoke for YHWH who emphasized a close relationship with Jacob/Israel.

The prophet (speaking for YHWH) told the Exiles in Babylon that all Israel would be redeemed and its sons and daughters would be brought back to Israel. Verses 3 and 4 “anticipated” (with 20-20 hindsight) that Cyrus the Great of Persia would conquer Babylon, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Saba (Arabia). (The Jewish Study Bible points out that, in fact, Cyrus never conquered Egypt but his son, Cambyses, did.) The JSB also observes that some Judean refugees fled to Egypt and other areas after the Babylonian Conquest.

The “people” and “nations” (i.e., Gentiles) would, according to the prophet, be given as ransom for the Judeans (v.4).

Understanding the Bible (by Stephen L. Harris) notes that Second Isaiah emphasized that Israel’s God remained in full control of human history. It also observes that, unlike Isaiah of Jerusalem (First Isaiah), the exilic prophet did not look to a Davidic heir to rehabilitate the covenant community. Instead, he declared that Cyrus was YHWH’s anointed, his Messiah (45:1). UTB says: “Second Isaiah, more than any other prophet before him, makes categorical declarations about the uniqueness, universality, and eternity of the biblical God. Without beginning or ending, Yahweh alone is the Creator and Ruler of the cosmos; other gods do not exist: ‘they are nothing … their images [are] wind and emptiness’ (41:29).”

Acts 8:14-17

Reading

14 When the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit 16 (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Commentary

The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.

Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with Paul’s letters.

Today’s reading described the spread of the Jesus Follower Movement from Jerusalem to Samaria. Ever since Samaria was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE and Samaritans intermarried with non-Jews, Samaritans were looked down upon by Jews from both Judea and Galilee. Samaritans worshipped at Mount Gerizim (not Jerusalem) and had their own version of the Torah.

In the verses just before today’s reading, the author stated that persecutions against Jesus Followers occurred in Jerusalem, and Philip (one of the seven deacons appointed by the apostles in Acts 6) went to Samaria and “proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (v.12). Men and women were baptized.

The apostles (who remained in Jerusalem and were coordinating the spread of the good news) sent Peter and John to convey the Holy Spirit by laying hands (a ritual of consecration) on the Samaritans who had been baptized (v.17). The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that the coming of the Spirit in Samaria was seen in Acts as fulfilling a prophesy attributed to Jesus in Acts 1:8.

Today’s passage reflects a continuing theological evolution in the Jesus Follower Movement in the First Century. According to the author of Acts, Baptism “in the name of Lord Jesus” (v.16) was not seen as infusing the baptized with the Holy Spirit. In other parts of Acts, however, the Holy Spirit came upon persons who were baptizes (2:38) and to Gentiles listening to Peter even before they were baptized (10:44). Later in Acts, Paul encountered 12 disciples of John the Baptist who had received the “baptism of repentance.” Paul had them baptized in the name of Jesus and then laid hands upon them so they would receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 19:1-5)

One of the major themes of both the Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles is the impact of the Holy Spirit – often portrayed as the driving force for all that happens. Today’s reading is an example of the importance the author of Luke-Acts gave to the Holy Spirit.

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Reading

15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.

The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 50% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.

All the Gospels contain a description of Jesus’ Baptism by John and statements by John that he was not the Messiah and that one to come after him was more powerful (vv. 16-17).

In the First Century, there was a tradition that Jesus had been a disciple of John before he (Jesus) began his public ministry. In addition, a baptizer was generally seen as superior to the person being baptized. For these reasons, all the Gospels emphasized that John was not the Messiah and that Jesus was more powerful than John and also was “superior” to him.

The “baptism by the Holy Spirit” (v.16) that JTB said Jesus would bring was accomplished at Pentecost in tongues of fire (Acts 2:3).

The omitted verses (18-20) recounted that Herod Antipas imprisoned John because John criticized Herod for divorcing his wife and marrying his niece, Herodias (who had been married to Herod Antipas’ brother, Herod Phillip). Reflecting the fact that the Gospels were pieced together, John’s imprisonment is presented before Jesus’ Baptism.

Although each of the Synoptic Gospels included the Spirit descending “like a dove” at Jesus’ Baptism, only Luke added that the Spirit descended upon him “in bodily form like a dove.” (v.22) The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes that, unlike the other Synoptic Gospels, Luke specified that Jesus was at prayer (v.21) when he was baptized and the voice came from heaven. The NJBC cites numerous instances in Luke-Acts in which prayer was emphasized.

In Mark and Luke, the voice from heaven spoke to Jesus (“You are my Son”) but in Matthew, the voice was addressed to those present (“This is my Son.) The concept of God’s decreeing that someone is God’s Son was derived from Psalm 2:7, a psalm that was likely a coronation song for David. The JANT notes that calling Jesus God’s “Beloved” is an echo of God’s reference to Isaac (Gen. 22.2) in the story of the Near Sacrifice of Isaac.

According to The New Oxford Annotated Bible, the dove was a symbol of new creation in the Flood story (Gen.8:8).